Dr. Doran Gresham

Dr. Doran Gresham headshot

Dr. Doran Gresham

Assistant Professor, Special Education and Disability Studies


School: Graduate School of Education and Human Development

Department: Special Education and Disability Studies, Cross-Disciplinary

Contact:

Office Phone: (202) 994-1509

Dr. Gresham’s primary research interest pertains to the overrepresentation of minorities in classrooms for students with special needs. To that end, he created "The Gresham Survey" to quantitatively assess the perceptions of general educators about the overrepresentation of elementary aged African American males identified as having an emotional disturbance. Since 2005, this tool has been modified so that it might also include the voices and opinions of administrators. The purpose of this research is to shed light on to this chronic institutionalized civil rights issue, which leads to systemic poor outcomes for students of color.

In 2015, Dr. Gresham published a collection of essays and interviews called Why the SUN Rises: the faces and stories of women in education. This interesting and vibrant work was co-written and edited by Dr. Gresham and helps to reveal why women in education return to work with and advocate for their students day after day.

cutout photo on white backgroun, Dr. Doran Gresham high fives Hippo mascot wearing GW Teach shirt

Prior to joining the faculty of the George Washington University, Dr. Gresham worked for 5 years as a Master Educator and 1 year as a Senior Master Educator with the D.C. Public Schools system. In this capacity, Dr. Gresham and an elite group of content specialists from the IMPACT team evaluated and supported each teacher in the district using the Teaching and Learning Framework (TLF).

In 2004, 100 Black Men of Greater Washington, D.C. recognized Dr. Gresham as their Elliott Hair Man of the Year for his work in helping to create the Saturday Leadership Academy, which exists today as a group based mentoring platform that provides mentees with opportunities to form healthy connections with positive minority male professionals.

In 2015 the George Washington University recognized Dr. Gresham by presenting him with the Rita Ives Award, which is given to one person in the field of special education who has shown exemplary progress in advancing the lives of students with special needs.


Ed.D., The George Washington University

M.Ed., The College of William and Mary

B.A., The University of Virginia

  • Special Education and Disability Studies
  • Special Education Law
  • Special Education Policies, Methods, Consulting, Mentoring
  • Instructional Coaching / Executive Coaching
  • Clinical Supervision
  • Child Development
  • Culturally Responsive Pedagogy
  • Restorative Practices
  • December 2023 - Dr. Doran Gresham partnered with SPEDxchange, which is an online community that houses special education information, jobs, and helpful resources for educators. His featured essay is entitled, Wild Horses: Four Points to Consider When Teaching the 21st Century Learner. Read his relatable and informative piece >
  • October 2023 Dr. Doran Gresham participated in GSEHD’s Fall Preview Day, where prospective students attended masterclasses based on their content-based interests. The title of his interactive workshop was, “Increasing Access in Special Education Using the 6 Rs (Rigor, Relevance, Relationships, Restoration, Responsiveness, and Reflection).” 
  • July 2023 - Dr. Doran Gresham served as a student keynote coach and a workshop leader for the 10th annual I'm Determined to MOVE Summit, for students with special needs. His interactive hands-on session title was, "Securing young trees on all sides: Building more resilient youth with exceptionalities in the 21st century."

    MOVE is a three-day event sponsored by the Virginia Department of Education to help students unlock their potential to overcome barriers, become self-determined, and graduate high school to be college and career-ready. While the event is open to and intended to support all students with disabilities from across the Commonwealth, the program is oriented to provide support to African American males with disabilities.